This coming weekend the Spanish town of El Molar, will host one of the most anticipated events of the season at the circuit of La Nava, close to Madrid and surrounded by the amazing Jarama Mountains. Around one hundred and fifty riders from twenty-nine nations will attend this weekend’s FIM Junior Motocross World Championship, which this year includes a new prize for the “greenest” team.
This award is for the team that shows the best behaviour towards supporting and crusading for positive environmental actions. The cup that will be the first to deliver by the International Motorcycling Federation in the context of a sporting event, aims to educate young riders about the importance of participating in an environmentally compatible event and thus providing integrated education of such matters at the same time. Furthermore as already part of the sport regulations demand, the FIM requires organisers to follow a series of conditions ensuring the environmental sustainability of the race as well as a total respect for the environment. A panel of sport and sustainability experts will be present during the weekend to evaluate and advise the teams as part of the many actions developed by the International Environment Commission of the FIM. The most important point is to show to the juniors that they must respect our planet as part of their sport.
Giuseppe Luongo, President of Youthstream
For our company it is very important to work to high standards at all levels, in order to develop high-level races and events that have an appropriate infrastructure to accommodate large numbers of spectators, serve better to our VIPs, press, riders etc. Motocross is an absolutely fantastic sport, very photogenic, extreme, appealing to fans, but we also understand that as an activity that takes place in contact with nature it may cause some impact. The positive impact we try to maximise and the negative impact we try to minimise by working hand in hand with the FIM through the application of their environment rules during the competitions, also the recently launched Ride Quiet campaign and this year we are fully supporting the FIM Ride Green Cup to ensure its success. We believe that the future of the sport will largely depend on the respect that we as promotors, organisers and practitioners of this sport show towards nature.
Tony Skillington, Director of the FIM Motocross Commission
The FIM Junior Motocross World Championship in El Molar will go into history as the event where the first edition of the “FIM Ride Green Cup” was held. Motocross is not always warmly welcomed by the environmentalists. However many seem to forget that the FIM was the first international sports federation ever to draft an Environmental Code in 1997. More recently, the FIM launched its “Ride Quiet” campaign in motocross showing its “green” engagement again. And now, it is time for the “FIM Ride Green Cup” which aims to reach and educate competitors at their youngest age. Or as they say: ‘The lessons of our youth are carried for a lifetime’. Juniors, the time is now!
Kattia Juárez Hernandez, Director of the FIM International Environment Commission
My beginnings in the motorcycling world were beside my son Guillermo who was a renowned motocross rider from the age of 4. Every weekend we visited different motocross tracks and increasingly noted that it was essential to organise races that leave no environmental footprint. The sport greatly contributed to modelling the character of Guillermo and I verify that it is definitely at an early age that we can sow seeds of sustainability with our youngsters. Today young people have an environmental awareness higher than previous generations and it is our responsibility as leaders to contribute to an integrated education. The Ride Green Cup is an excellent formula to show our young riders, in a fun way, the importance of incorporating sustainable practices in their sport and to train them in a comprehensive manner. Athletes are an excellent vehicle to raise awareness in their community, with them being exemplary sports persons. Because ‘To be a real champion they must respect the planet’.